US President Barack Obama pauses during a a news conference (Reuters Photo)
Washington:
President Barack Obama flies to Asia after midnight on Sunday for an eight-day tour of China, Burma and Australia, a trip that will focus on Washington's often-tense relations with China.
The China stop will be dominated by Obama's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the White House said it expects "candid and in-depth conversations."
The relationship between the two superpowers, which US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the "most consequential" in the world today, has been marred by tensions over the South China Sea, cyberspying and human rights issues.
In Myanmar, Obama will meet President Thein Sein and opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi. Washington has raced to normalize ties with Myanmar following reforms there, removing most US sanctions imposed on the military junta.
But Suu Kyi warned this week that the pace of change was slowing, and that the US had been "over-optimistic about the reform process" at times.
The White House said it remained committed to democratic reform in Myanmar.
"We will underscore the United States' commitment to the protection of human rights, tolerance and pluralism, as well as sustaining and deepening the democratic transition," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said.
The unrest in Ukraine may also be a focus, and Obama could meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue.
No formal meetings have been scheduled, but neither side has ruled out the possibility of informal discussions. The last time the two leaders met face to face was in early June in France.
North Korea could also be on the agenda, following the release of two Americans from the closed communist nation Saturday, which Obama called "wonderful."
The trip follows a difficult week for Obama, after his party suffered a severe blow in midterm elections that saw Republicans take control of the Senate.
Obama will have to convince international partners that he can still assert his presence at home when it comes to steering foreign relations in his final two years in the White House.
The US president will also have to convince Asian partners that he intends to rebalance diplomatic ties in the region -- a pillar of of his foreign policy -- amid ongoing crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.
The president is set to attend a series of summits, namely APEC in Beijing, ASEAN in Naypyidaw and the G20 in Brisbane, and will meet several leaders, including Indonesia's new president Joko Widodo.
The China stop will be dominated by Obama's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, where the White House said it expects "candid and in-depth conversations."
The relationship between the two superpowers, which US Secretary of State John Kerry has called the "most consequential" in the world today, has been marred by tensions over the South China Sea, cyberspying and human rights issues.
In Myanmar, Obama will meet President Thein Sein and opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi. Washington has raced to normalize ties with Myanmar following reforms there, removing most US sanctions imposed on the military junta.
But Suu Kyi warned this week that the pace of change was slowing, and that the US had been "over-optimistic about the reform process" at times.
The White House said it remained committed to democratic reform in Myanmar.
"We will underscore the United States' commitment to the protection of human rights, tolerance and pluralism, as well as sustaining and deepening the democratic transition," National Security Advisor Susan Rice said.
The unrest in Ukraine may also be a focus, and Obama could meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the issue.
No formal meetings have been scheduled, but neither side has ruled out the possibility of informal discussions. The last time the two leaders met face to face was in early June in France.
North Korea could also be on the agenda, following the release of two Americans from the closed communist nation Saturday, which Obama called "wonderful."
The trip follows a difficult week for Obama, after his party suffered a severe blow in midterm elections that saw Republicans take control of the Senate.
Obama will have to convince international partners that he can still assert his presence at home when it comes to steering foreign relations in his final two years in the White House.
The US president will also have to convince Asian partners that he intends to rebalance diplomatic ties in the region -- a pillar of of his foreign policy -- amid ongoing crises in Iraq, Syria and Ukraine.
The president is set to attend a series of summits, namely APEC in Beijing, ASEAN in Naypyidaw and the G20 in Brisbane, and will meet several leaders, including Indonesia's new president Joko Widodo.
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